Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

Lord Rama was even ready to embrace Ravana

Purushottam Nitai Das April 8, 2014

Lord Rama’s associates weren’t happy to see Vibhishana when he came to seek shelter of Lord Rama. They thought that Vibhishana being the brother of Ravana, an enemy of Lord Rama, cannot be trusted. But to everyone’s utter surprise they found that Lord Rama happily welcomed Vibhishana and he did not even doubt the motive of Vibhishana. Lord Rama went on to declare that even if Ravana comes to his door then he would happily embrace him. This is why Lord Rama is called very merciful. Being the Supreme Lord, all the living entities are his parts and parcels and in spite of us rejecting him or even going against him, he is always ready to forgive and forget all our previous mistakes and tonnes of sins which we have committed. He does not carry any grudges against us and nor is he vengeful. He always wants to see us happy and tries his best to do what is best for our spiritual life. Our tinniest of endeavour attracts him. During the construction of Rama Setu, all the monkey warriors were doing phenomenal job but there was a little squirrel who was also trying his best to serve the Lord. But due to his insignificant body size he was only able to move a small speck of stone. But Lord Rama appreciated the effort of the squirrel and praised his work.

So on this auspicious occasion of Ramnavmi, the appearance day of Lord Rama, let us give up all our selfish motives and selfish desires and welcome Lord Rama. Let us take a pledge in our life to do at least something for the pleasure of Lord Rama, like the tiny little squirrel. Our effort will never go in vain and soon we will find the presence of Lord Rama within our heart, it will bring inexplicable joy in our dry life.  

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For spiritual success, give up the desire for sensual pleasure

Purushottam Nitai Das April 4, 2014
If suppose that someone lights a fire and then immediately pours water on it, we would be surprised by such behaviour. But if a person continues doing the same thing again and again then we would be completely shocked by this nonsensical behaviour.
Practicing devotional life but continuing with sense gratification is also a crazy behaviour. Devotional life is like burning fire and getting engrossed into sensual pleasure is like pouring water on the fire. Many a times we want to carry on with sense gratification along with practicing devotional life. But this dual life is not going to bring us any good result. If we are really serious about achieving God then we should endeavour hard to give up all our non devotional attachment. It is not just important to physically restrain ourselves from indulging in sensual pleasure but it is equally important that we completely give up the desire for sense gratification (Bhagavad Gits 6.2).
We need to strive to develop taste for spiritual life else giving up our deep attachment for this material world will become too difficult. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by dovetailing all our senses in satisfying the Lord. Eyes can be engaged in seeing the beautiful form of the Lord, ears for hearing the beautiful activities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, tongue in tasting the prasad and in glorifying the Lord and so on. Whatever we look for in the material world is also there in the spiritual life. The only difference is that in the spiritual life we do all activities to satisfy the Lord which in turn fills our heart with deep satisfaction and joy. Whereas if we try to satisfy our senses with material means then it is not going to give us any lasting pleasure and will also take us away from Krishna. We have an opportunity to choose our future – we can accept Krishna’s wisdom words or we can continue acting as per our whimsical desires. The first one will take us to Krishna and the 2nd one will keep us back in this world. Once we reach to Krishna then we can be assured of eternal blissful life, if not then we can continue living in this filthy world.
 
Bhagavad – Gita 6.2: What is called renunciation you should know to be the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, O son of Pandu, for one can never become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification.

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Find a house where no one has died!

Purushottam Nitai Das April 3, 2014
Once a woman in utter distress approached Lord Buddha. Her son had died and she wanted Buddha to bring her son back to life. The compassionate Buddha asked her to go to each and every household of the village and inquire if there is any house in which no one has ever died. If she could find such a house then he promised that he would give her son a new life. The woman frantically ran to the village in search of such a house. She knocked at each door but to her dismay she could not find any such house where no one had ever died. Every householder had seen death in their family. The woman then came to her senses and understood that those who are born are destined to die.

Bhagavad Gita 2.27 explains this reality, “One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.”

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Don’t wait for old age. Let us give up the insatiable material desires now.

Purushottam Nitai Das April 2, 2014
An old man in State Bank of India was inquiring about car loan. The agent asked, “For whom you want the car?” “It’s for me”, the old man said. “And what’s your age sir?”, the agent again asked. “It’s 76!” I don’t know whether he got the loan or not. Or whether his desire (or need) to buy a car was right or not. But one thought which immediately struck me was that will there be a day in my life when all my desires (of course material) will cease to end.  Will there be a day when I will not want any worldly things, I will completely feel satisfied and be at total peace?

Desires are endless, the moment one gets fulfilled, immediately the other pops up. In school I wanted the best bicycle. In college the best bike. Now the best car. In future something else will fascinate me. Many a times our desires are not for our basic needs, but it is because of social pressure or a longing to prove our worth to others. My car should be bigger than that of my neighbors, my Smartphone should be completely different than that of my friends, my television set should make people go crazy and so on. Advertisements of today are also tailor made to titillate our ego. Ads like “Neighbors envy owners pride” or “Designed for envy” try to entice people to go on reckless shopping spree.

We accumulate many things which we may not even need; it turns out to be a total wastage of money.  Desires are umpteen and the craving to fulfill it keeps on torturing us every moment. Many think that with age desires keeps on dwindling. But I don’t think it really happens. With age the form of the desires changes but not the yearning.  If we want to lead a peaceful life then it is imperative for us to get rid of our insatiable desires right now. Even Krishna speaks about the importance of giving up the desires in Bhagavad Gita 2.70. And he does not specify any age limit for this.

Bhagavad Gita 2.70: A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

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Why to pray to God only for worldly things?

Purushottam Nitai Das February 24, 2014
A friend of mine has a beautiful daughter who is very young. By her innocent antics, she entertains all. Once she went in front of the picture of Radha and Krishna and reverentially folded her hands in front of the Lord. She stood there for few minutes. All of us were pleasantly amused, her mother was very excited. She embraced the little child and then said something which was although not shocking but saddening. Taking the little girl on the lap, she instructed her in a serious tone, “Always pray to Krishna so that He makes you an IAS officer. Do not pray to him for any other thing. This should be the only prayer throughout your life till you achieve your coveted goal.”

Such demands from God are not uncommon. People mostly knock at the doors of God with their wish list and ask him to fulfil all of them. It’s just like the way we place our order to a waiter in a restaurant.  As the waiter is obliged to bring everything which we had asked him for, similarly we want that God should also be on his toes to fulfil all our desires. And the same thing we teach to the younger generation.  

Why should we pray to God for material positions and possessions? And whenever we stand in front of God then why should we always ask for something from him.  Why don’t we go in front of him to simply share our feelings with him, to express our love, to thank him for all the beautiful things he has given to us? God being our maintainer and sustainer takes care of all our basic necessities. Before a child is born, he arranges milk for the child. He gives us food, air, oxygen to breathe, water and everything which is required in our life. It is other thing that we humans never cared for these invaluable gifts and exploited the natural resources.  God always takes care of all our needs.

How would a father or a mother feel, if their child always comes to him only to ask for something. Give me money, buy me a bike, a laptop, an iPad, a fancy mobile, a trendy dress etc. And once the demand is fulfilled he turns his back towards his parents. But if the demands aren’t met then the child starts accusing the parents for callousness. How much pain it would cause to the caring mother and father? But if the child simply embraces them with love then how much joy the parents would experience.

Do we ever think that how God, our father, would be feeling when we go in front of him with our demand list. Holy books and holy men have taught us what to ask and what not to ask from God. In Sistastakam prayer, Lord Chaitanya teaches us how to pray to God: “O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want your causeless devotional service birth after birth.”   This is how we should approach God – not for any worldly things but to selflessly serve and offer our love to him.

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Burn the seed of lust

Purushottam Nitai Das February 7, 2014
A seed is tiny in size but if watered regularly it grows into a gigantic tree. Similarly, any desire in our mind initially may appear to be extremely small however if we keep on nurturing that tiny little desire then slowly it becomes extremely big.  And that specific desire or thought starts affecting our daily life. How it happens? Suppose that we see an obscene picture in a newspaper or on a billboard (these are anyway plenty available these days), our mind like a blotting paper captures that image and stores it. Now if we start thinking about that image constantly and start enjoying it then gradually we would start getting absorbed in it. Soon 24hrs a day we would remain obsessed with that thought. Since, it is impossible to get the actual person of the picture, so people who contemplate on such thoughts start devising other means to satisfy their obsession.  They soon get hooked to pornographic magazine or movies or start searching stealthily in the outside world to fulfill their nasty lusty desires. Lust is extremely dangerous, it ruins our life. Bhagavad Gita explains that it is the gateway to hell and every sane man should guard themselves against it. “There are three gates leading to this hell—lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.” Bhagavad Gita 16.21. Turn the pages of any newspapers or peep into any history books, there would be plenty of stories of crimes, suicides and even war due to lust. The two men who raped a 5 year old small girl in Delhi told to the police that it was pornography which they were watching on their mobile which instigated them to abduct the innocent child and rape her.  Addiction to lust defeats us, humiliates us and finishes us. Lust should be nipped in the bud. So as soon as any lusty thought crops in our mind then we should immediately burn that seed before it poisons our life. One of the best ways to fight the disease of lust is by chanting the name of God like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Chanting strengthens our will power and purifies our consciousness which helps us to immunize ourselves against lust.

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Vasant Panchami – day to offer our love to Radha and Krishna

Purushottam Nitai Das February 4, 2014

Today is Vasant Panchami, the first day of spring. Spring is considered to be the best of all the seasons. Different varieties of colorful flowers of various shapes and sizes swarm the earth in this season. The multicolored surrounding exudes sweet fragrance calling people to enjoy the beauty of God’s beautiful creation. The day becomes more beautiful when devotees offer gorgeous garlands prepared by these flowers to Radha and Krishna and bathe them with flower petals and colorful leaves.  The sweetness of the ambience rises at its peak when everyone melodiously sings to glorify the Lord. This is the best way to celebrate Vasant Panchami. The divine couple, our original and eternal Supreme Father and Mother, is most beautiful and loving and when we express our gratitude towards them by giving them the best of this world then they became extremely happy and we too as his parts and parcels feel complete satisfaction and deep bliss.

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Starve the senses to enjoy it

Purushottam Nitai Das February 3, 2014
Our senses if untrained and uncontrolled behave like a serpent ever ready to bite us. We mostly suffer because we fail to control our senses but remain controlled by it. For e.g. if one does not control ones speech and is loudmouthed then sooner or later one will face the music. Or else, if a person always remains absorbed in satisfying ones taste buds then from morning to night one will be busy looking for palatable foodstuffs.  The problem is that the more we walk the extra mile to act as per the dictum of our senses, our senses becomes more demanding. Soon we become slaves of our senses and start dancing to its tune. Senses are just like serpents; the more we feed milk to a snake the more it becomes poisonous, similarly the more we try to appease the senses the more violent it becomes. Bhagavad Gita too warns the danger of being controlled by the senses, “As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.” (Bhagavad Gita 2.67)
So if we want peace in our life then we should start saying NO to our senses. Initially like a mad dog it will go berserk. But if we keep on starving it then slowly it will emaciate and we can then easily imprison them. Our senses will then become ours and instead of us being under its subjugation we can dictate terms to them. Once we become the master of our senses then our senses will become our best friend and would never trouble us.

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365 steps towards perfection

Purushottam Nitai Das January 1, 2014
Suppose that we invest our hard earned money in a company’s share which promises to give a very high return at the end of the year. But we find that throughout the year the market value of the share keeps depreciating and at the end of the year we have lost all our money. Next year the same company again launches a new scheme and asks us to purchase its share. How many of us would ever think of buying the share from the same company again? Probably no one because the company would have lost its goodwill, credibility and our trust.
2013: How was the return?
Now let us assess year 2013 and find out what return it has given to us. Considering ourselves as a smart investor we had invested a lot in 2013. We had celebrated its birth and had danced in joy thinking that the year would wipe out all miseries from the world and will bring happiness in our life. Now let us ask ourselves how the year ‘2013’ was? Did it satisfy all our dreams, desires and schemes? Did the world become a better place to live? Or still we are being haunted by the menace of terrorism, communal violence, natural calamities, diseases, death of our beloved ones, financial and job insecurity etc.  The answer is anyone’s guess. We can convincingly conclude that year ‘2013’ did not live up to its expectation. Similarly, in 2013 we had agreed that ‘2012’ was disastrous, in 2012 we accepted that ‘2011’ was terrible, in 2011 we admitted that ‘2010’ was tragic and so on. If we turn the pages of history books then we would be astonished to see that every year the same story of death, violence and disaster gets repeated unabatedly. If we gloss over the newspapers of 1913 (hundred year back), we will find that during that time also people were struggling with similar problems. In 100 years we may claim that we have advanced technologically, we may be today moving in fancy cars or conversing on smart phones but the lives basic problems remain unanswered and unresolved.
Searching life’s manual
In spite of us being so desperate for happiness why does it mostly elude us? Let us try to investigate this worrisome phenomenon. Suppose that we purchase an electronic gadget and the product manual says that if it is operated beyond 500 volts it will give an electric shock. Initially we may doubt the warning and try to operate it beyond 500 volts. However while doing so we get a terrible shock. Henceforth will we ever operate it above 500 volts? In fact we would develop unflinching faith in the gadget’s manual and will believe each word of it. In order to use any product effectively we need to follow the product’s manual carefully.  Similarly to know how to live in this world properly we need to search for life’s manual and live as per its guidelines. Vedic literatures like Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Isopanisad have been the guiding light for humanity since the dawn of creation. As for the electronic gadget to work effectively the product manual provided certain guidelines. Similarly to live happily in this world there is few do’s and don’ts which we are supposed to follow. These rules and regulations have been elaborately discussed in Vedic literatures, the oldest book of humanity.
Krishna’s wisdom words
Krishna, the supreme God, in Bhagavad Gita 8.15 calls this world as dukhalayam asaswatam, an abode of miseries. This material world is a place where one will experience only suffering. Now since Krishna has already defined the nature of this world then how can we expect that this world will provide us any happiness? Finding happiness in this world is like catching cloud and pinning it down. Our effort will never bear any result. And this is why in spite of all endeavors we hardly experience any satisfaction or happiness here. Everyone would agree with me. However let us not become despondent by hearing Krishna’s candid remark about the plight of those living in this world. Although this world is an awful place to live but Krishna, our Supreme father, being benign gives us a formula to transcend miseries of this world. He exhaustively explains: “How to be happy in this world” and “How to immunize ourselves against material miseries”. To achieve this we need to emulate the footsteps of Arjuna, Krishna’s friend and disciple.  Arjuna was in quandary at the battlefield of Kurushetra but after he decided to bring Krishna in his life, his all problems got resolved. He not just emerged victories in the epic battle but was also able to transcend all sufferings.  Like Arjuna, we too need to spiritualize our life and live as per Krishna’s advice. As the sun rises, the darkness dissipates. Likewise the moment we open our heart to Krishna all the sufferings and miseries from our life will vanish and we would be exposed to unlimited bliss.
How to be happy in this world
 In Gita 3.10 it is explained that one can be happy in this world only if one performs yajna [sacrifice] for the satisfaction of Vishnu [Krishna]. The yajna recommended for this age [Kaliyuga] is the sankirtan yajna i.e. chanting the names of God like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.  As we saw that if a company’s share perform badly then the investors do not put their money again in it. Similarly we have been investing our time, energy and efforts in material aggrandizement for several years but the return has always been horrible. It is time for us to change our strategy. Now, we should not simply run for material positions and possessions and not try hard to satisfy the unlimited demands of our body and senses because these activities would never ever bring contentment, we have a firsthand experience of this. “Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.” (Bhagavad Gita 5.23). So, instead of wasting our time in mindless material activities we need to spiritualize our lives and try to develop relationship with Krishna. “One who is not connected with the Supreme [in Kṛṣṇaconsciousness] can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?” Bhagavad Gita 2.66.
If we are serious about transforming our lives then we need to act as per Krishna’s wisdom words. Krishna promises that those who take his shelter, he personally takes care of them, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad Gita 18.66). Disregarding the instructions of the gadget’s manual gave us an electric shock; similarly if we fail to comply by the pristine message of Vedic scriptures in letter and spirit then we should be ready for a terrible shock in our life. In this year, 2014, let us not repeat the mistakes of previous years but start living as per the guidance of sacred Vedic books and bring Krishna in our life. And the best way to do is by chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra,” Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”. 
It is said that if we take a single step towards Krishna then he takes hundreds of steps towards us. Let us begin by taking at least one single step towards him every day. So this year we should take a vow that we will take at least 365 steps towards Krishna. A single step each day will act as a springboard and take us closer to Krishna where we will be the recipient of limitless bliss and complete satisfaction.
The yogi whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest perfection of transcendental happiness: Bhagavad  Gita 6.27

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We lament, we fret, we hanker and we regret

Purushottam Nitai Das December 27, 2013
The fire of unlimited desires constantly burns our heart. Desires always tease us and like an uncontrolled horse make us wild. Few of the most common desires which everybody nurtures is – desire for amassing wealth, owning a palatial bungalow, driving the most luxurious car, having a beautiful/handsome sexual partner, becoming famous, possessing the latest and the best gadgets and gizmos of this world, remaining always young, looking always attractive, being the cynosure of everyone’s eyes..… and so on. Our desire list is unending and incremental. Out of these lists some of our desires may get fulfilled but not all. And the once which will get fulfilled will also not last with us forever. Although we spend our life running behind our insatiable desires, it never brings any pleasure in our life. Our whimsical mind cheats us and gives us a false hope that happiness will be ours once all our desires get fulfilled. We lament, we fret, we hanker and we regret thinking “If only I would have achieved “it” I would have been happy today” or “If only I achieve “it” I will then become happy”. Chasing the desire is like running after a mirage in the desert. Krishna in Bhagavad Gita 2.70 warns that peace will elude those who run behind the desires: A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires — that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still — can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

So let us not become slave of our unending desires but instead control it. This will bring peace and pave the way for ultimate happiness. 

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